Lubricating device.



C. R. ADAMS.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR..22, 1912 Patented July 16, 1912.

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CONRAD R. ADAMS, OF BUFFALO; NEW" YORK, ASSIGNOR TO- THE PIERCE-ARROWMOTOR CAR COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application filed April 22, 1912. Serial 1T0. 692,375.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CONRAD R. ADAMS, a

"citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county ofEriev and State of New York, have, invented a new and useful narilyhoused in a gear case containing oil,

in which one of the gears runs. In worm gearings inwhich the worm islocated above the-worm wheel, the latter runs in the oil in the bottomof the gear case and lubricates itself and the worm and also the wormwheel J bearings, but the worm'and worm Wheel have a tendency to throwor drive the oil away from the bearings at one end of the worm so thatthe bearings at this end of the worm 1 parts in the seteral figures.

In the construction shown in the. drawings, which is an inclosed wormgearingsuitable for the drive gearing of automobiles, A represents the,worm which is arranged above the worm wheel B and 1s normally driven inthe direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 for driving the wormwheel. The gear case C may be of any suitable construction and the gearsmay be jour naled in any suitable way therein. Preferably the wormspindle or shaft D is supported at opposite ends in ball bearings d dand is provided at one end with ball thrust bearings d d inclosed by apart (i of the case which is removable to afiord access to the bearings.The worm wheel runs in oil in the bottom of the gear case and carriesthe oil up to the worm.

E represents the lubricating device, which 1s. secured on the wormspindle between the bearing d" and the adjacent end of the worm andconsists of a propeller provided with one or more, preferably three,helical ribs or blades 6. These blades extend in a direction opposite tothe direction of the threads of the worm, so that when the worm isrotating in the normal direction indicated, the 011 thrown up by theworm wheel is picked up by the blades of the oil" propeller and thrownoutwardly against the ball bearing cl. ing, the oil finds its waythrough the ad'- jacent thrust bearings 03 d to the outer end of thebearing case (2 The worm spindle is provided with an open-endedlongitudinal oil passage f which has a radial-or outwardly extendingportion f connecting with a hole f through the body of the oilpropeller. Centrifugal force, due to the rotation'of the worm, causes aslight vacuum in the oil passage f, which draws the oil through thepassage from the outer end of Passing through the bearl the bearingcase, and this supplemented by the propelling action of the oilpropeller E, maintains a circulation of theoil through the bearing d andthrust bearings d d, thus insuring a thorough and-eff cient lubricationof these hearings. The ,Worm wheel normally rotates in a direction tosplash the oil againstthe other bearing d for the worm, and this coupledwith the tendency of the worm to feed' the oil in the same directioninsures a suflicient lubrication of this bearing d. v

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a case containing oil, a rotary member which islocated in said case above the oil and has a bearing at.

. first gear, and a bearing for said upper gear,

ofa rotary oil propeller arranged between said upper gear and saidbearing and provided with a helical blade arranged to move the oiltoward said bearing, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a gear case containing oil, a worm wheel in saidcase which runs in the oil, a worm above said worm wheel, and a bearingfor the worm spindle, of a rotary oil propeller arranged between saidworm and said bearing and provided with a blade having an inclinationopposite to that of the threads of the worm for moving the oil towardsaid bearing, substantially as set forth.

, 4. The comblnation' with a case contain-.

vided with an outwardly directed portion whereby th'e oil is caused tocirculate through said bearing and passage, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a gear case containing oil, a worm wheel in saidcase which runs in the oil, a worm above said worm 'wheel, and a bearingfor the worm spindle,

of a rotary oil propeller arranged between said worm and said bearin andprovided with a blade having an inclination opposite to'that of thethreads of the worm for moving the oil toward said bearing, said wormspindle having a longitudinal passage extending from said oil propellerto the far side of said bearing and provided with an outwardly directedportion adjacent to the propeller whereby the oil is caused to circulatethrough said bearing and passage, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand, this 16 day of April, 1912.

C. R. ADAMS. Witnesses:

H. KERR THOMAS,

EDNA FORBUSH.

